June 2014 Newsletter
June 2014 Newsletter
Issue 151
This was one of our informal quarterly meetings where our members showed off their latest Meccano creations.
At around 2:00pm we had a short committee meeting, followed by the Model Tour in which members were invited to give a short talk about their models — in particular their entries for the Secretary’s Challenge!
Report written by Peter Clay
The annual Model Railway Exhibition in the Methodist Church Hall at Welling was held on 3rd May 2014. As before, on the stage, were members of SELMEC ‘flying the flag’ for the hobby and the club. This has become an annual fixture in recent years.
Model details are as follows:
Douglas Windibank
- Single Deck Tramcar from the April 1932 issue of Meccano Magazine
- Renault ‘F1’ Racing Car
- Roadster with parts from the 1930s replica set
- Tintin Seaplane
- Red Arrows jet aircraft
- Mini Bi-plane from a Marks & Spencer set
- Radar Scanner
- Cable car
A subsequent table shuffle allowed several more of Doug’s models to be displayed — unfortunately I don’t have details.
Doug with his models
Tim Surtell
- ‘The Lightning Leap’ challenge. Needs no introduction. Plenty of mugs — sorry, punters — found out just what a challenge this was, especially since Tim changes the shape of the ‘rod’ each showing! It was earning money for the Foal Farm charity. As it cost 2p to play and the prize of 10p wasn’t won once (at least I don’t think so) it did earn money. Tim had the good idea of removing panels from the towers later, so spectators could see the complex workings
- Konkoly Spanish Knight on a rotating animated horse
- Drilling Machine and Fret Saw — both manual models, interactive (ie. hand-operated!)
- Maraca (only one, but it plays!)
- Ice Cream Cart
- Illuminating Semaphore Signal
Felicity Surtell ensures a visitor doesn’t cheat at Tim’s Lightening Leap!
Adrian Ashford
- Saddletank Locomotive
- Tugboat
- Piano and Violin Duet, battery operated by pushbutton
- Tractor powered by Magic Motor with model of Dinky ‘Halesowen’ harvest trailer (all in red and green)
Adrian’s model display
Chris Warrell
- Car and Caravan
- Greenwich Time Ball
- Dragster
- Cable Car
- Bride and Groom (namely, his daughter Emma and husband Tom who got married recently!)
- 3 Daleks in red, yellow and black
- Bicycle
- Perrier Bottle ‘Meccaneau’
- Mobile crane
Peter Clay
- Meccanograph ‘Super Universal Design Maker’ churning out designs
- Safari Car
- ‘Huff-a Bolt’ game
- Model of Hornby O-Gauge railway crane (in honour of the occasion)
Peter’s Meccanograph
The day went well. All credit must be given to Adrian who organised the whole show and had everything ready on stage before we arrived. I understand attendance was good. We had several Meccano visitors; I saw Frank Paine, George Foard, John Cowdery and Bryn Jones. If you were there and I haven’t mentioned you, please forgive me.
Our stand on the stage
You can see more photos from the show in our Facebook album.
Report written by Alan Wenbourne
We were invited again to exhibit Meccano models by the Medway Modellers Club at the Medway Festival of Steam and Transport on 20–21 April 2014. This year the Modelzone was held in the Smithy, which, as a large brick building, proved a much better venue. I arrived early Saturday afternoon to set-up and, as usual, Terry Plaw of the MMC was already well into laying out his several hundred small-scale model aircraft in rows of 35. He had organised the dozen tables we had requested along one side of the building close to a power point, which formed an aisle into which visitors would be channelled directly from the main entrance — perfect!
On Sunday the weather gradually deteriorated which generated increasing waves of visitors due to the showers, but at least it was warmer this year! Monday was a beautiful day with increased attendance and interest in our show. We were pleased to welcome Matt Goodman and Bryn Jones of the West London Meccano Society among Monday’s visitors.
The only real criticism was the lack of official direction signs to the Modelzone; our club banners helped in this respect. Overall it was a very successful event with a great deal of interest in our models; we also distributed a large number of the SELMEC Meccano Show flyers.
Watch our video of the festival
Our member and model line-up was as follows:
Tim Surtell
Tim Surtell’s models
Douglas Windibank
Douglas Windibank’s models
Andrew Couzens
Andrew Couzens’ models
John Cowdery
John Cowdery’s models
George Foard
- Mobile Crane, from a kit
- 1957 № 8 set Dennis Roadsweeper much improved (including bottle brush sweeper)
George Foard’s models
Chris Fry
- Kepler 16 Orrery by Michael Whiting but with flywheel drive and freewheel mechanism of his own design
- Railway Breakdown Crane, a modified version of a Set 7 model featured in the May 1960 issue of Meccano Magazine complete with match truck, diesel locomotive, flat-bed truck, brake van, track, buffer stops, footbridge and loading gauge
- Piper Cub monoplane and Triumph TR3A, both by Bernard Perrier from Constructor Quarterly; Modified 3 model set motorcycle
- Evolution Chopper motorcycle
- Starship Enterprise micro-model from a design by Ralph Laughton
- Flat-bed lorry by Bernard Perrier from Constructor Quarterly (one of his series of sector-plate inspired auto models)
Chris Fry’s models
Alan Wenbourne
Alan Wenbourne’s models
You can see more photos from the festival in our Facebook album.